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José, Costa Rica, Monday, July 6, 2015, Vol. 15, No. 131
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 Banco
Nacional
photo
Two Banco
Nacional employees spruce up the entry sign for the Parque Nacional Cerro Chirripó in Pérez Zeledón. Bank volunteers also improved 200 meters of trail, took water samples, painted and changed chips in surveillance cameras. Minister promises Paquera road work By the A.M. Costa Rica staff
The public works minister has promised residents of the Paquera area that machinery will arrive Wednesday to begin maintaining the 24 kilometers of Ruta 160 that runs north to Playa Naranjo. Paquera residents were engaged in protests last week over the condition of the road. The minister, Carlos Segnini Villalobos, and legislators representing the area met with residents Friday. His Ministerio de Obras Públicas y Transportes still characterizes the road work as an emergency action. The road is mainly gravel, and the residents are seeking asphalt. The situation has been in the Sala IV constitutional court. The government has funds from the International Development Bank to do the job, but the work is part of a larger project. The project appear to be tied up in the planning stage. Our reader's opinion
Five years of broken promises citedDear A.M. Costa Rica: I would like to comment on the current demonstrations in Paquera. Originally from California, I have lived in Paquera for over 22 years. This is not a case of a petty complaint about the poor condition of the roads here, as they are in so many parts of Costa Rica. It is about the treatment by the government to the people here. Paquera, Tambor, Montezuma, Mal Pais/Samta Teresa, the southern tip of the Nicoya Peninsula, is like an island because access here is by boat (ferry) or by airplane. The road north to Playa Naranjo and Guanacaste from Paquera is almost impassable. Trips on this road are often necessary and the damage they do to the health of the residents living along the road and the damage to the vehicles is immeasurable. The main problem is that the government has the money and the plans to make this road and has been delaying for over five years to begin the work. Numerous officials, diputados and officials from the Ministerio de Obras Públicas y Transportes and Consejo Nacional de Vialidad have come here and announced the road work would commence in a short time, and nothing ever happens. In December of 2013, the president of the country, Laura Chinchilla, came to Paquera and announced roadwork would start soon and be completed in 2014. Nothing happened. That is why we are frustrated. Broken promises, neglect and deteriorating conditions. That is enough for a tranquil community, and numerous communities, to protest in strength. It doesn´t help matters when a group of protesting farmers and school teachers are met with 50 SWAT officers in full riot gear, pushing and shoving without concern for the people. After the first police attack, the rock throwing began and the tires burned. This will not end until the government fulfills its promises and obligations. James Loren
Paquera Oceans need urgent
help, study says
By the Alfred Wegener Institute news
staff
The oceans need an immediate and substantial reduction of greenhouse gas emissions. If that doesn’t happen, far-reaching and largely irreversible impacts on marine ecosystems are possible, and this would especially be felt in developing countries. That’s the conclusion of a new review study published in the journal Science. In the study, the research team from the Ocean 2015 initiative assesses the latest findings on the risks that climate change poses for oceans, and demonstrates how fundamentally marine ecosystems are likely to change if human beings continue to produce just as much greenhouse gases as before. Since the pre-industrial era, the carbon dioxide concentration in the atmosphere has risen from 278 to 400 parts per million – a 40 percent increase that has produced massive changes in the oceans. “To date, the oceans have essentially been the planet’s refrigerator and carbon dioxide storage locker. For instance, since the 1970s they’ve absorbed roughly 93 percent of the additional heat produced by the greenhouse effect, greatly helping to slow the warming of our planet,” explains Hans-Otto Pörtner, co-author of the new Ocean 2015 study and a researcher at the Alfred Wegener Institute, Helmholtz Centre for Polar and Marine Research. But the oceans have also paid a high price, according to the research: As far down as 700 meters the water temperatures have risen, which has forced some species to migrate up to 400 kilometers closer to the Earth’s poles within the past decade. Given the increasing acidification in many regions, it’s becoming more and more difficult for corals and bivalves to form their calcium carbonate skeletons. In Greenland and the western Arctic, the ice is melting at an alarming rate, contributing to rising sea levels. As a result of these factors, the biological, physical and chemical processes at work in marine ecosystems are changing, which will have far-reaching consequences for marine life and humans alike. “If we can successfully limit the rise in air temperature to two degrees Celsius through the year 2100, the risks, especially for warm-water corals and bivalves in low to middle latitudes, will become critical. However, the remaining risks will remain fairly moderate,” saidlead author Jean-Pierre Gattuso. But a rapid and comprehensive reduction of carbon dioxide emissions would be needed in order to achieve this ideal option, he adds. If, instead, carbon dioxide emissions remain at their current level, 36 billion tons in 2013, the situation will escalate dramatically, he said. “If we just go on with business as usual, by the end of this century the changes will hit nearly every ecosystem in the oceans and cause irreparable harm for marine life,” claims Pörtner. This would in turn have massive impacts on all areas in which human beings use the oceans, whether in capture fisheries, tourism or in coastal protection. The researchers’ statement above all addresses those individuals who will attend the international climate conference COP21 in Paris this December. Water to be cut off in Coronado By the A.M. Costa Rica staff
Much of the canton of Coronado will be without water today because the Instituto Costarricense de Acueductos y Alcantarillados says a storage tank has to be cleaned and maintained. The water institute said that the supply will be off from 8 a.m. to 2 p.m. About 62,100 persons will be affected, said the company.
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| San José, Costa Rica, Monday, July 6, 2015, Vol. 15, No. 131 | |
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Dramatic
Three craft from the
Servicio Nacional de Guardacostas close in on a suspected drug boat in
the central Pacific Sunday morning. The photo came from one of the two
planes of the Servicio de Vigilancia Aérea that were
involved in the interception about 17 miles off Cabo Blanco in
the Pacific.moment Four Costa Ricans and three Colombians were detained and eight packages of suspected cocaine were confiscated, officials said. |
 Ministerio de
Seguridad Pública photo
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| Talamanca plans a new action againt two expats who file
complaints |
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By the A.M. Costa Rica staff
Two southern Caribbean expats have been invited to explain to the Talamanca council why they should not be declared personas non gratas. Honest. This is the latest development of a bizarre case in Costa Rica's most southeastern area. Carol Meeds, a 68-year-old U.S. resident, said she had been informed at the end of last week that she and Belgian expat Philippe Vangoidsenhoven, 50, had been summoned officially by the council. Lat March 6 the council declared the pair to be unwelcome in the canton. The Sala IV constitutional court quickly reversed |
that
municipal action and said in passing that they had not been give the
right of response. So now the council on a motion by Carlos Cascante, the mayor, seeks to give them what it called the right to defense. That decision was made June 26. Both the expats have been active in making many environmental complaints. Ms. Meeds provided a reporter with a copy of an email by the pair's lawyer, José María Villalta, who said he was readying another Sala IV appeal. He wrote that he thought this might halt the Wednesday hearing, scheduled for 1 p.m. The message from the municipality includes some 19 pages that are mostly signatures on a petition, said Ms. Meeds. Throughout the entire controversy the power of a municipality to expel legal residents has not been made clear. |
| Protest already being planned for July 25 holilday in Nicoya |
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By the A.M. Costa Rica staff
The next Costa Rican holiday is July 25, the Anexión del Partido de Nicoya, and plans already are being made for a protest against the central government. Typically, on this day central government official meet in Nicoya to show their appreciation for a decision by locals in 1824 to join with Costa Rica and not Nicaragua. Guanacaste area residents usually feel like stepchildren to other parts of the country, and this year the continuing drought has made tempers hotter. Johnny Leiva and Juan Marín Quirós, both lawmakers from the opposition Partido Liberación Nacional said they met in Liberia with representatives of organizations there in tourism and agriculture. Their summary of the meeting was an echo of |
the wacky
television anchorman Howard Beale in the 1976 movie "Network." The two lawmakers proclaimed: “Ya no aguantamos más,” roughly translated as "We're not going to take it anymore." A protest is being planned for that day, the lawmakers said, citing what they said were dissatisfaction in many sectors that have peaked. Marín was quoted in a release saying that nothing positive is happening in Guanacaste to resolve the grave problems that require investments and decisions by the executive branch. He cited bad roads, unemployment, increasing poverty, the drought and 15 communities getting their water from tanker trucks. |
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| San José, Costa Rica, Monday, July 6, 2015, Vol. 15, No. 131 | |||||
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| New U.S. regulations designed to urge colleges to reduce
sexual assaults |
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By the A.M. Costa Rica wire services
New U.S. regulations aimed at protecting college students give American colleges and universities increased responsibility for ending sexual assaults on campus. The measures, provisions of the the Violence Against Women Reauthorization Act of 2013, took effect July 1 and call for educational institutions to take a more direct role in protecting female students. Universities are now must follow stricter reporting requirements for sexual assault allegations and must provide clear options to those who report an incident of suspected abuse. They must also provide prevention training for students and college employees. The new regulations come in effect following several studies and polls showing a problem with the rate of sexual assaults on American college campuses. A poll released by The Washington Post and the Kaiser Family Foundation last month showed that 20 percent of female college students and 5 percent of males were the victims of sexual assaults on U.S. campuses during the past four years. The survey contacted more than 1,000 people who attended college and lived on or near the campuses of more than 500 colleges and universities across the country. Tracy Sefl, a board member of the Rape, Abuse & Incest National Network, the largest anti-sexual violence organization in the United States, said, "increased awareness has led to increased recognition of a problem.” The Post/Kaiser survey indicated that nearly three-quarters of campus sexual-assault victims spoke to others about the incidents, but only 12 percent reported the attacks to police or their colleges. Dana Bolger is a co-founder of Know Your IX, whose name refers to Title IX, a group of U.S. laws prohibiting discrimination and guaranteeing equal opportunity for all in educational institutions that receive federal funds. Her organization educates and provides aid to students on matters However, Katherine Bowman, a victim of sexual assault while she was attending college, disagrees. “We all put ourselves at risk of being in a car accident every time we get in a car, but if someone runs a red light and hits |
you, it's not
your fault,” she said. “We don't blame people,
‘Well, you shouldn’t be driving. You put yourself to risk.’ Why should
we do the same to the survivors?" involving sexual
assaults. Ms. Bolger, who is a sexual assault
survivor herself, said there are many reasons that survivors choose not
to report incidents. “We know that most victims were assaulted by a friend or partner, and there can be a lot of confusion and doubt that comes along with that experience, and hesitation to report whom you know or love,” she said. Although four times as many women as men suffer sexual assaults during their studies, Tracy Sefl said, "The rates in many ways don’t matter, because the outcome and the risks and the long-term effects are very equal in many ways." The survey reports that two-thirds of assault victims had been drinking alcohol at the time, and that 77 percent of the survey respondents believe a reduction in drinking will help prevent campus sexual assaults. In May 2014, the U.S. Department of Education released a list of 55 universities and colleges under investigation for mishandling sexual assaults. They include some of the most elite universities in the U.S., including the Ivy League's Harvard University, Princeton University and Dartmouth College. So far, the U.S. federal government is investigating 130 cases of sexual assault on campuses, involving 117 schools. But many cases have generated controversy for the way schools and the media have handled sexual assault allegations. In December 2014, Rolling Stone magazine published a lengthy article, “A Rape on Campus,” about an alleged gang-rape of a University of Virginia female student by members of the school's Phi Kappa Psi fraternity. The accuser's account ultimately was found to be untrue, and the magazine retracted its article, but the fraternity and a university administrator filed suit seeking damages. Since 2011, in fact, more than 30 male students have sued their schools after being found responsible for sexual misconduct. Most have alleged they were denied due process or a fair hearing of the allegations against them. |
Here's reasonable medical care
Costa Rica's world class medical specialists are at your command. Get the top care for much less than U.S. prices. It is really a great way to spend a vacation. See our list of recommended professionals HERE!amcr-prom
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| Pope begins trip in Ecuador with a colorful reception By the A.M. Costa Rica wire services
Pope Francis, the first South American pontiff, has returned to that continent to begin an eight-day visit to Ecuador, Bolivia and Paraguay. The 78-year-old Jesuit pope landed in Ecuador's capital, Quito, Sunday afternoon on the first leg of his visit. At the airport, he was greeted by government and church dignitaries, as well as colorfully dressed children and adults waving the papal flag and standing on either side of a long red carpet. Huge crowds also gathered along the route from the airport to the papal nuncio's residence, where Francis will be staying. Francis is skipping his native Argentina on the trip, but plans to head to his homeland next year. It is his ninth trip abroad since assuming the papacy more than two years ago. As he left Rome, Francis said he wanted to emphasize the plight of impoverished people in the three countries he is visiting, "especially children in need, the elderly, the sick, the imprisoned, the poor, those who are victims of this throwaway culture." The Roman Catholic Church has about 1.2 billion followers, with a large portion of them in Latin America. Ecuador, Bolivia and Paraguay are three of South America's poorest and smallest countries. Ecuador has been hit in recent weeks with anti-government demonstrations, protests aimed partly at the call by embattled President Rafael Correa for increased inheritance taxes. Protest leaders have called for a moratorium during the papal visit out of deference to Francis. The pope was planning to celebrate a Mass in eight languages early today. Later in the trip, he is planning a visit at a violent Bolivian prison, a meeting with Bolivian trash collectors and a stop at a flood-prone Paraguayan shantytown. Greek voters veto austerity, and nation's status uncertain By the A.M. Costa Rica wire services Greek voters have overwhelmingly rejected a plan to impose more austerity measures on them in exchange for new bailout loans for the government in Athens. With 87 percent of the votes counted from Sunday's referendum, more than 60 percent of voters have rebuffed warnings from European leaders that ignoring their calls for more austerity could force the country from the 19-nation euro currency bloc. Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras, who had urged a no vote said after the polling, "Today we celebrate the victory of democracy." The scale of the victory is seen as an emphatic vote of confidence in Tsipras. In a televised address after early results were announced he thanked voters for making a generous choice. “However, I'm fully conscious that the mandate you have given me is not a mandate against Europe, but a mandate to find a sustainable solution with Europe that will take us out of the vicious cycle of austerity,” he added. The opposition accused Tsipras of jeopardizing the country's membership in the 19-nation club that uses the euro. Greek opposition leader Antonis Samaras announced his resignation, after his New Democracy Party had urged a yes vote in the referendum. Whether the creditors will be willing to pull back on their austerity demands and approve more bailout money for Greece is far from certain. As Athens defaulted on a $1.8 billion loan payment due the International Monetary Fund last week, European leaders said a negative vote would signal that Greece wants to leave the eurozone and divorce itself politically from Europe. Thousands of Greeks gathered in Athens' main square Sunday night to cheer the apparent outcome of the referendum, with many chanting "No, no!" Nearly 10 million people were registered to vote in the referendum and officials said more than half that number may actually have voted. The European Commission says it respects the result of the Greece referendum, after Greek voters on Sunday overwhelmingly rejected the terms of a bailout. European Council President Donald Tusk called a summit of eurozone leaders for Tuesday to discuss the situation. The week leading up to Sunday's referendum has been a miserable one for most Greeks. Banks put strict limits on withdrawals to avoid running out of funds, although ATMs ran out of cash several times. Supermarkets are fast running out of basic foods. Storekeepers are reluctant to restock shelves because of the uncertainty of how they would be able to pay for the supplies. Seven new cultural sites added to world heritage list By the A.M. Costa Rica wire services
The U.N. World Heritage Committee, meeting in Germany, said Saturday that it had designated seven cultural sites for addition to its World Heritage List. Two of the sites are in Iran and one each is in China, Singapore, the Republic of Korea, Mongolia and France. The U.N. Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization bestows the designation to recognize global significance and to help in preservation. The 39th session of the committee, chaired by German Minister of State Maria Böhmer, was to vote in Bonn on 31 other nominations. In the United States, the San Antonio Missions in Texas, San José y San Miguel de Aguayo, Nuestra Señora de La Purisima Conception de Acuña, San Francisco de La Espada, San Antonio de Valero and San Juan Capistrano, are recommended for inscription this year on the World Heritage List. The San Antonio de Valero church is known as the Alamo where Texans put up an historic fight against the Mexican army. The five missions of the so-called Spanish frontier were established by Catholic religious orders in the 17th and 18th centuries to spread Christianity among the locals. They would be the first World Heritage sites in the state of Texas and the 22nd designation in the United States. The committee has approved the inscription on the World Heritage List of more than 1,000 sites in more than 160 countries worldwide, from the Taj Mahal to Australia's Great Barrier Reef to Stonehenge in England. Wayback Machine is banned over a pro-jihad Web site By the A.M. Costa Rica wire services
Internet users in Russia will no longer be able to access a massive database of cached Web pages, apparently due to one single Web site authorities in Moscow don’t like. Russia’s attorney general has ordered blockage of the site, known as The Wayback Machine, citing legislation that bans minors from accessing sites that contain pornography, sexual abuse or extremist activities. The Wayback Machine stores cached images of Web pages around the world going back as far as 1996. The archives contain almost 500 billion stored images. The Kremlin says the unprecedented block is needed to keep dangerous information from reaching minors online. But Russian free speech activists argue the ban is just the latest move by Moscow to erase anything on the web it finds objectionable. According to Rublacklist.net, a censorship monitoring project run by a group known as the Russian Pirate Party, the block is due to a single cached Web page called “Solitary Jihad in Russia.” The page contains discussion of partisan resistance, and states that Islamic sharia law must be instituted all across the world. The targeted Web site was blocked by the Russian Internet agency Roskomnadzor in June, citing the need to protect minors. But the Wayback Machine still contains an earlier snapshot of the Web page and because it uses the HTTPS encrypted protocol, Russian authorities said they had no choice but to ban the Wayback Machine. Rublacklist.net reports access to the Wayback Machine was cut at the end of June. The San Francisco-based non-profit Internet Archive hosts the Wayback Machine. While it’s not the largest collection of cached webpages, Google estimates it has over 35 trillion, it remains popular with researchers and others for offering snapshots of what Web sites looked like at various points in the past. Because it captures screenshots from Web pages all over the world, the Wayback Machine also gives readers a chance to read news reports from all over the world in the past, and compare them with their more local media. With the Wayback block, that information is now inaccessible to most Russians. Over the last year, Moscow has aggressively escalated its censorship of the Internet. In May, Roskomnadzor sent letters to the U.S.-based web services Twitter, Facebook, and Google requesting large amounts of private information on Russians who use their services and demanding various pages deemed illegal for advocating unsanctioned protests in Russia be permanently taken down. Sites run by opposition leaders Garry Kasparov and Alexei Navalny and independent media like the Ekho Moskvy radio station and Grani newspaper have also been banned. Just this week, Vitaly Milonov, a prominent member of the Russian Duma, called for Facebook to be completely banned, due to an app that supporters of the same-sex marriage use to apply a rainbow filter to their profile pictures.  Vice of America photo
The Hermione replica
flies dual flagsFrench
replica participates
in New York July 4 activities By the A.M. Costa Rica wire services
A replica of the French warship that brought the Marquis de Lafayette to George Washington with news of French aid in 1780 is in New York as part of Independence Day celebrations. The ship will be touring the Eastern Seaboard until mid-July. The ship played a key role in the American colonists’ bid for freedom from England, historians say. On July 4, 1776, 13 American colonies at war with Britain formed a new nation. As the war unfolded in later years, the Americans might have lost their revolution if not for the news of French help from the Hermione. The French aristocrat Lafayette had volunteered to fight with the Continental Army and became friends with Washington. Lafayette went back to France and persuaded King Louis XVI to provide men and ships to help the Americans. He returned on the Hermione with news that French reinforcements were on their way. The 65-meter-long frigate is the kind of warship seen in old paintings – made of oak, with huge billowing sails, cannons bristling from the deck, and complex rope rigging reaching a mast about 50 meters high Almost 80 people make up the predominately French crew of the replica. Their average age is 27. Some are professional sailors but most are volunteers, including 32-year-old Aurore Le Vilain. During the Hermione’s recent stopover in Alexandria, Virginia, outside Washington, Ms. Le Vilain said she had to get over her fear of heights to climb the rigging to adjust the sails. When the ship is at sea, "it’s like a pendulum," she said. "You’re going from one side to another and you still have to keep working." Another crew member, Alice Bru, 34, had never sailed and found the trip a challenge. "We have more than 200 ropes and each has a different use," she said. "And it’s physically difficult because everything is heavy." Although the original Hermione was constructed in 11 months in the port town of Rochefort, France, it took 17 years for the replica to be built in the same port. Rochefort resident Alain Lambert flew to Virginia to tour the Hermione on American soil and said it had been exciting to watch the changes, over the years, as the ship took shape in his hometown. Dressed as an American revolutionary soldier while touring the vessel, Alexandria resident Kon Gojnycz was impressed that the shipbuilders used many 18th-century techniques. The cannons were actually recast at the same factory that made guns for the Hermione and the French navy back in the 1770s, he said. The replica is as authentic as possible, said Bruno Gravellier, the ship’s superintendent, who, at 68, is the oldest sailor on board. But there are a few concessions to the 21st century, he said, including a kitchen, engines for safety and a power generator. One area is noticeably different from the original. “In the place where we have showers and toilets, they had hundreds of live sheep,” he said of the original ship. “It must have smelled quite different.” What hasn’t changed are the cramped quarters where the crew sleeps in hammocks, said 22-year-old history student Adam Hodges-LeClair, one of the few Americans on the crew. “You have some moments when people are very close,” he said. “Potentially, you need your space. At the same time, it’s nice to have support whenever you’re doing a maneuver.” Trio of journalists dead in three Mexican locations By the A.M. Costa Rica wire services
Media rights groups are calling on Mexican authorities to thoroughly investigate the recent murders of three journalists in one week in the states of Oaxaca, Veracruz and Guanajuato. "We are appalled by all these murders of journalists in Mexico," said Lucie Morillon, Reporters Without Borders program director. "Three deaths in a week — when will the violence stop?" Ms. Morillon called on authorities in the three states "to ensure that impartial, independent and thorough investigations are carried out and that those responsible for these despicable crimes are arrested." Thursday journalist Filadelfo Sanchez Sarmiento was gunned down by two men as he was leaving radio station La Favorita in Maiahuatlan de Porfirio Diaz in southern Oaxaca state. Reporters Without Borders said Sanchez Sarmiento had received death threats. "Mexican authorities must thoroughly investigate this killing and establish a motive, including any possible connection of journalism and bring those responsible to justice," said Carlos Lauria, Committee to Protect Journalists senior Americas program coordinator. "This crime must not become one of the dozens of unsolved journalist murders in Mexico, which has one of the worst impunity rates in the world," Lauria said. Elsewhere Thursday, Reporters Without Borders says the body of Juan Mendoza Delgado, a local news Web site editor in Medellin de Bravo, in the eastern state of Veracruz, was found in a morgue, a day after he was reported missing. The media group says Mendoza Delgado was reported to have been run over by a car. Days before Mendoza Delgado's death, Veracruz Gov. Javier Duarte had warned journalists to behave themselves and had accused them of being linked to organized crime. In the central state of Guanajuato on June 26, the body of Gerardo Nieto Alvarez, the editor of El Tabano, a local newspaper was found in Comonfort with a neck wound. Reporters Without Borders reports the prosecutor in charge of investigating Nieto Alvarez's death immediately ruled out any possibility of a link with his journalism. However, the journalist's family told the rights group that they are convinced he was killed because of his work. Nieto Alvarez's son told the media rights group, "My father's laptop has disappeared. It contained all the information he was going to publish. The prosecutor has not said anything about that." Three other journalists have been killed so far this year in Mexico. Reporters Without Borders says Mexico is the Western Hemisphere's deadliest country for journalists in 2015 and ranks it 148 out of 180 countries in its current press freedom index. Mexico was ranked seventh on CPJ's 2014 Impunity Index, which spotlights countries where journalists are slain and the killers go free. |
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A light rain makes weeding so much easier. All those roots just seem to wiggle out of the soil. Of course, shaking the dirt off of them is harder, but piling them up under a sheet of plastic until they dry out some
I think the best ground covers are the ones that grow tendrils from the stems as they lay on the ground. They sort of creep across the ground; each stem grabbing the soil and holding tight to anchor the next bit of growth. In a way, they are crab-grassy themselves and that makes it very hard to weed them. Pull a long tendril of weed and you are going to disturb the roots from one of your ground cover stems. You may even dislodge it completely and see it come away with the weed. No matter though, as you can immediately replant it in another section of garden. After all, you want them to spread. Other ground covers don’t make roots from stems, they simply sprawl. I have a couple of good sprawlers out there, some ground huggers and some taller. They are much easier to weed, although they don’t strangle out the weeds as well as the crab-grassy ones are supposed to. Weeding grass is so much harder. First of all, how am I supposed to tell grass from weed? Little weeds look a lot like grass at times until they go to seed, then watch out, because weed seeds are not very polite. I don’t know how much time I have spent pulling weed seeds (a/k/a/ burs) out of clothing and dog fur, but it is way too much. Long ago, there was a product you could spray on grass that would only kill broadleaf weeds which made taking care of a lawn a lot easier, but who knows if it’s still available or if you even want a chemical control. Until there is a nice friendly way to take out weeds, I guess we will have to expect dirt on our knees and an aching back. Just try to stay away from the fire ants . . . .  Plant of the Week
The jade plant is a terrific succulent that loves rich
well-drained soil. It takes very little watering – in fact it suffers
when over-watered – so it is perfect for dryer areas of the tropics. My
jade plants did so poorly in our rainy season that I moved them into a
more protected area. This not only improved growth but color as too
much sun can cause yellowing of the leaves. You might want to enjoy
your plant on the deck or keep it in a pot until you find the perfect
location. If you would like to suggest a topic for this column, simply send a letter to the editor. And, for more garden tips, visit https://www.facebook.com/pages/Arenal-Gardeners/413220712106845 |
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| From Page 7: CE chief discusses Diquís dam problem By the A.M. Costa Rica staff
Protesters greeted the the head of the state electrical company when he traveled to southwestern Costa Rica Friday to discuss the Proyecto Hidroeléctrico Diquís. He is Carlos Obregón, executive president of the Instituto Costarricense de Electricidad, known as ICE. The proposed dam and the reservoir it will create have been a hot topic with residents for years. Much of the land is ancestral territory occupied by native peoples, such as the Rey Curré. The electrical institute said that Obregón went as part of an agreement by the central government to initiate a dialogue with the residents. Before the meeting in Térraba, Obregón encountered a roadblock by residents carrying signs. The electrical institute said that he got out of the vehicle and engaged in discussions with the protesters who then dispersed. James Anaya, a professor at the University of Arizona who serves as a U.N. expert, said in a report that the government should address underlying issues affecting the native peoples in the country. He is a special rapporteur for native problems. He visited in April 2011. Obregon was urged to follow the suggestions that Anaya made. |
